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Most Popular Service: Weekly service
Reservations/Appointments: Required
Established: 2004
Staff Size: 2?10 people
Average Duration of Services: 30 minutes or less
Pro Tip: Please let us know ahead of time if your gate has a lock, or if your dogs are aggressive.

With its cozy decor and absence of ominous cages, The Dog Waggin’s welcoming facility gives busy pet owners peace of mind as their pups comfortably socialize and play. The 4,000-square-foot digs house a play room with pooch playground equipment—including slides and tunnels—a relaxing play room—characterized by fluffy pet beds—and a backyard, where dogs can caper about or stretch out and bronze their bods in time for swimsuit season. Pups are free to rest and play as they see fit with their fellow boarders, all under staff supervision during daytime outings and overnight stays. The canine caretakers also offer a number of other services, including walking, in-home sitting, and training from owner and certified dog trainer Lisa Harvey.

Land mines, poop piles, dog logs—no matter what the euphemism, Poop 911 allows families to circumvent one of the unappealing parts of dog ownership. It'll clear entire yards of dog waste, and even can apply repellent to deter pets from destroying a treasured flower bed or magic beanstalk. Other add-ons include raking leaves and dog walking.

Poopie Palz sends fastidious cleaners to yards and dog runs to collect and remove dog waste year-round. Upon securing all waste within ecofriendly bags, they send a text message to homeowners letting them know it is once again safe to walk barefoot while watering hedges. In addition to picking up dog waste and removing it from properties, Poopie Palz offers dog-walking visits, which include water and food refills, as well as love and attention. They also visit cats, cleaning out litter boxes, refilling water and food, and calmly explaining the science behind laser pointers in flawless cat speak.

When a widespread skunk infestation effecting Chicago suburbs made national headlines, media outlets such as USA Today, NPR, the Chicago Sun-Times, and WLS 890AM with John and Lauren hailed ABC Humane Wildlife Control & Prevention as the front lines of humane defense. Since its founding by university-trained naturalist Garon Fyffe in 1976, the team of animal experts has deftly removed unwanted animals, pests, and birds from homes and businesses. Each of the 35 state-licensed wildlife control experts employs humane processes to sniff out pest problems and solve the underlying issues, such as gaps in the foundation, tree limbs offering easy roof access, or handbills lying around offering employment in return for cheese.

According to Buffalo Grove Countryside, Candy Oppman trained her first dog when she was only 9 years old. Like many people, she grew up and started a family—only her family turned out to be a combination of kids and rescue dogs. After founding her own pet-sitting business, Candy went on to learn about training and animal behavior. These skills would prove useful for her next endeavor: Bark University, Inc.
Inside Bark University's 3,500-square-foot facility, trainers rear canines through a method called "pack leadership"; or as Candy puts it, "training them as a mother dog trains her puppies, in a language they understand." The full-service facility is also open to daycare, where supervised dogs can frolic along the 5,000-square-foot fenced backyard and in the rubber-matted playroom in groups separated by size, temperament, and playing style. They round out their services with grooming sessions and overnight stays—wherein a staffer remains on premises to keep pets safe and see if they start to talk.